UWGB men's basketball: Phoenix lands final recruit for 2019 class

GREEN BAY – Japannah Kellogg III had a feeling he might commit to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, but before taking a second visit here Saturday, the Ames (Iowa) senior forward's decision still was up in the air.

By Monday, it was made.

The 6-foot-7 Kellogg announced he will play for UWGB, picking the school over Cal Poly and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also had interest from other schools such as Missouri-Kansas City, Presbyterian and Miami of Ohio.

Kellogg averaged 12.3 points, 5 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a junior last season while shooting 46.9 percent from 3-point range.

He also is a standout in track and field in high jump and long jump, placing second in the high jump at the Iowa state track and field meet this year.

Kellogg is the second and final Phoenix recruit for the 2019 class. The team received a verbal commitment from Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) guard Amari Davis last month.

UWGB coach Linc Darner is not allowed to comment on either of the recruits until they sign their letters of intent.

“After being on campus and meeting the rest of the coaching staff and team, I decided that was the place for me,” Kellogg said. “The location, I don’t think played a part at first. But in the end, it felt like home being at Green Bay.

“I think that helped me in making my decision.”

Kellogg should provide even more versatility for the Phoenix. While his main position at Ames has been small forward, he also has shown the ability to play guard.

He competed for the 17U D1 Minnesota AAU team this summer, which plays in the Adidas Gold Division Gauntlet circuit. He was one of only two on the roster to play for the squad despite not playing for a high school in Minnesota.

Kellogg gained even more exposure and could have waited a bit longer to commit to a school, but there wasn’t much of a need.

“I just really like seeing how the coaches interacted with the players and the players interacted with each other,” Kellogg said. “And kind of how they played as a team, fast-paced.

“In the past years (at Ames), it would probably be considered pretty different, but I think this year we are going to be playing pretty similar to how they play.”

Kellogg got an opportunity to talk a bit with Darner about how the team views his future with the Phoenix and what his role could be once he arrives on campus.

“I’m a lengthy kind of wing, which makes up most of their team,” Kellogg said. “Just have to be able to run the floor and I will fit in pretty well.”

Kellogg, whose father played at Southwest Minnesota State in the early 1990s, is happy to have his future decided. He now can concentrate on his senior season with the Little Cyclones.

“I definitely wanted to commit before the season,” Kellogg said. “Just so I could focus on the season and not have other things to focus on.